Food Protection Trends - January/February 2022 - 63

TABLE 3. Rework motivations reported by dairy processing facilities (n = 7)
Rework motivations
Underfilled containers
Packaging flaw (cosmetic)
Code date (unsold product)
Packaged reclaima
Elevated microbial counts
Unpackaged reclaima
Packaging leakers
Resanitized containersb
Temperature dependentc
aReclaim: product captured following sanitation and product changeovers.
bFrom products stored in milk crates that fell over during storage or transport within the processing facility.
c
Temperature-dependent motivations are associated with products that are reworked due to not being refrigerated immediately
following packaging.
changeovers. Most processors refer to this process as reclaim.
Common transitions for fluid milk processors include skim
milk removed during butterfat standardization, transitions
from lower butterfat products to higher butterfat products,
transitions from dissimilar product changeovers (i.e., fluid
to flavored), and product recovered from the pipes prior to
and/or after sanitation procedures. Processors typically flush
a predetermined volume through the fillers for immediate
disposal prior to collecting and capturing the reusable
volume of product. Processors decide what is eligible for
collection based on visible cues and/or product testing. For
visible cues, some processors described that they begin to
capture the reclaim when the product flowing through the
fillers visibly appears to be mostly milk because it is white in
color. Some processors have previously tested the amount of
product that needs to be flushed through the pipeline before
they start to collect the reclaim, typically based on solids
and/or butterfat content of the product. Some processors use
TA on reclaimed product to verify that residual sanitizer from
the clean-in-place step is minimized. Reclaim procedures are
designed to minimize the time between product recovery and
reprocessing. Therefore, reclaimed milk is unlikely to have
a negative impact on the microbial load and shelf life of the
final product.
Surveyed processors described two types of reclaim
systems: bulk reclaim and packaged reclaim (Fig. 2). Three
of the surveyed facilities use a bulk reclaim system to divert
product away from the fillers to a holding tank or storage
vessel, where it may be stored for up to 3 days at ≤ 7°C (≤
45°F) prior to reworking. Two of the facilities have a bulk
reclaim system that consists of a conduit draining system that
is installed directly under the fillers. It is programmed to flush
the initial unusable product volume for immediate disposal,
and then the operator will manually switch the system to
reclaim a predetermined volume of product that is pumped
into a holding tank. One facility manually collects reclaim
in 10-gal (38-L) stainless steel milk cans and immediately
transfers it into the balance tank for incorporation into
the same production lot. If the lot has since changed or
production has stopped for the day, this reclaimed product
will be stored in the milk cans at ≤ 7°C until it can be
incorporated into a subsequent product lot. These scenarios
present different traceability challenges for rework within a
single facility.
Four milk processors reclaim off-specification product in
packaged form. In these facilities, the initial diluted product
is flushed through the fillers down the drain, and once milk
product begins to flow through the fillers, packaging begins.
The first 20 to 30 filled containers will not meet product
specification. These containers are immediately removed
from the line and held in cold storage (up to a processor's
specified code range) until they are reworked in a later
production lot. The number of packaged reclaim units
removed from the line is dependent on facility conditions
and is established prior to collection to ensure that the
finished packaged products have hit targeted specifications
and are unadulterated by other constituents.
One facility takes a mixed approach to reclaim using a
combination of bulk and packaged strategies. In this facility,
the fillers are flushed, and then a predetermined volume of
January/February Food Protection Trends
63
Facilities indicating motivation
7/7 (100%)
6/7 (86%)
5/7 (71%)
5/7 (71%)
4/7 (57%)
3/7 (43%)
2/7 (29%)
2/7 (29%)
1/7 (14%)

Food Protection Trends - January/February 2022

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